JW Pet Company Insight Sand Perch Swing Bird Toy - Small Assorted - Perfect for Parakeets, Cockatiels & Small Birds - Cage Accessories for Climbing & Play

First, let's talk about the controversy about sand swings. This particular swing is made with some sort of hard material with the "sand" embedded into the swing. There is a lot about "bumble foot" This is NOT CAUSED by sand swings or perches. It is caused by bacteria, so a bird can still get bumble feet if you don't keep the cage clean. A overly rough perch may cause a scratch or cut to the foot and that can introduce the bacteria to your bird. People buy sand perches and sandpaper for their birdcages because it is supposed to help keep the birds nails trimmed. It does not. Anything rough enough to file nails will likely be rough on the rest of the bird's feet. It is also important that you don't cover the entire cage with sand toys and floors. The swings are the ONLY things in the cage made of this material. There are platforms and wood perches, branch type perches--all with differing widths or circumferences. The floor of the cage was originally had a barred grate that let waste fall into a tray below that, but it seemed a bit awkward for the budgies to walk about, so I put down newspaper or plain cardstock which is changed daily. Everything else gets wiped down daily, but gets a good scrubbing once a week with soap and hot water. I've had different birds over the years, and I have never even HEARD of bumblefoot until I started to read reviews on sand swings! There is a lot of disagreement on whether you should have these kind of toys for your birds--even among vets. I'm not a vet or medical expert, but neither are the well-meaning (but misinformed) people claiming you're gonna kill your bird if you get them a sand swing.(I wonder why they didn't notice something wrong with the bird's feet before they fell off) However, if you don't feel comfortable with the thought of these sanded swings--please buy a different kind of swing. There are many, many different styles and materials you can choose from. To be honest, even I though the new swing was a bit too rough and took a piece of coarse sandpaper and sanded down the extra sharp and rough bits, while leaving enough texture for the birds to get a good grip. their old swing was very old from when my late mother had birds, so it was not as gritty. The swing also has a tapered perch which is supposed to be good for the feet since they can alter their grip as they wish. I got this swing because MY birds were literally fighting--screaming and pecking each other-- over it as their favorite toy and sleeping perchDO NOT wrap tape around it--especially duct or electrical tape. Birds chew on stuff. Plastic, vinyl, and toxic glues are not good for your bird. Just buy another kind of swing, keep the cage clean, and know that eventually you or your vet are going to have to manually trim those tiny talons. That's basically my take on the swing. As sand swings go, this is really the best I've seen. The sand is embedded into the material--it's not just sandpaper placed on another surface. Buy it as a fun toy for your bird. I don't think it really is an effective nail trimmer. The small size is perfect for parakeets and small birds around that size. Two of them CAN fit, if they WANT to fit.This is already a LONG review, but below are the reasons I really felt I HAD to order this swing as opposed to other swings on the market. Also answers why I say budgies are tiny, feathered, ill-mannered toddlers. First of all, I was disappointed that I did not get a PINK swing as shown in the advertisement. I should have known, having ordered other bird toys online that colors can vary from the picture, and you rarely get a choice in what color you'll get. The reason I needed a pink swing is because I already had a pink swing--the same model and brand as this one. Like I mentioned earlier, my two budgies FOUGHT over this swing--pecking ,chak-chaking, even pushing one another off the swing with their bodies. They used to be happy to share it when I first got the two birds (they were young, unbonded birds). This was the swing they cowered on when I first brought them home and they were frightened by the new surroundings and the loss of the company of their other cage mates. Later they became happy and comfortable with their new home, but the swing remained their favorite plaything, and the place they would go to roost at night.As they got older, they got more territorial (especially Nina). They started to fight over the swing, even when I bought another swing (a wood perched one with beads). The loser, usually Lucie, but sometimes Nina, would sit forlornly as if they had been banished from Paradise. I couldn't find another swing at the pet store, so I ordered this one from Amazon. It was green, I put the new swing in the cage. They ignored it the first day, continued to bicker over the pink swing. The next day, I saw them (singly) swinging on the new swing--sometimes jumping or flying from swing to swing or branch to swing, etc. At night, though, they did not use the green swing. Lucie, the one who had eventually given up the pink swing to Nina, went to the beaded swing to settle for the night. But, Nina, instead of going to her pink swing, decided that the beaded swing must be the BEST swing, so she must have it, and chased Lucie off the beaded swing. Lucie spent the night on the pink swing. Now they bicker over the beaded swing. Toddlers." If you have it, I want it, but if you don't want it, I don't want it either." They use the new swing as an actual swing, or rest on it during the day, so I haven't wasted my money.